We left the Big Island of Hawaii and took a short flight to Oahu for the final part of our adventure. I’ve been to Oahu several times, mainly to Honolulu, but so much still remained unseen. For instance, none of us had ever visited Pearl Harbor even though it’s right there in Honolulu. So we focused an entire day at Pearl Harbor, wishing we had more time as we rushed through. There’s so much history that it felt like a speed run.
Pearl Harbor National Memorial
The centerpiece, of course, was the Pearl Harbor National Memorial (map). I feel like it doesn’t need much introduction. Everyone should be familiar with the “date which will live in infamy“, December 7, 1941, when Japanese forces launched a surprise attack upon the United States.
The U.S. entered World War II because of what happened that day in Pearl Harbor. More than 2,400 Americans died in those tragic circumstances. Today people come here as much to pay their respects as to learn. Even a remarkable number of Japanese tourists were there! It is truly hallowed ground.
However, it’s not just one spot, it’s a whole constellation of different museums, memorials, and active military installations all around the harbor. We began at two exhibit galleries, “Road to War” and “Attack” for an orientation. We were waiting for our prearranged ferry ride to the USS Arizona Memorial.
USS Arizona Memorial
Nearly half of the Americans who died that day were sailors and marines aboard the battleship USS Arizona. Some 1,177 people perished in the bombing and a subsequent explosion of the ship’s forward munitions magazines.
The Navy removed the battleship’s superstructure as it cleared the harbor after the attack. However, it left the rest of the ship where it sank, a permanent memorial and final resting place for those who gave their lives.
Visitors can only access the USS Arizona Memorial by boat (map). It almost didn’t happen for us even though I knew we needed a reservation. Unfortunately I didn’t realize the Park Service releases tickets exactly 8 weeks in advance and they go pretty quickly. They were long gone before I got my act together.
So I signed up for the waiting list, and I waited, and I waited some more, and I got nothing. Fortunately the Park Services issues a smaller batch the day before at 3:00 pm. I set every alarm and calendar notification I could find, and I got ready. I did get tickets but I cut it a little too close for my tastes. I’m usually better prepared.
We caught the ferry and sailed out to an anchored platform tethered above the remains of the USS Arizona, an historical artifact and a solemn tomb. The platform is a lot smaller and more confined than I imagined, and quite crowded, especially as a new boat unloaded. Even so it was quite solemn and practically silent as befitting the situation. People read names on the wall, paid their respects, and peered into the water above the rusting outline of the fateful vessel.
USS Battleship Missouri Memorial
The museum ship USS Missouri docks at Ford Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor and is not actually part of the National Memorial. It belongs to the non-profit USS Missouri Memorial Association which maintains the ship independently (map).
Ford Island is an active military facility so visitors can’t simply drive up to the ship and park. Instead, a bus departs from the National Memorial. It crosses a bridge onto the island, badges through a security checkpoint, and pulls up to the dock. Visitors step out of the bus and walk directly into a secured entrance near the gangplank. They can’t wander around the base. They must go to the ship.
However, once aboard, most of the ship is open for exploration. We poked around various decks, climbed up to the bridge, examined the big guns, and stood on the spot where the war ended. There is a marker and an exhibit where representatives from Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender on the deck while the ship was anchored in Tokyo Bay, in 1945.
So Pearl Harbor can take visitors from the place where the United States entered the war to where the Japan surrendered at the end of the war, all in the same visit.
Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum
Once again we boarded a shuttle for another stop on Ford Island, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, also run by an independent non-profit (map). There are numerous aircraft from all eras. However, there is a big focus on the Second World War for obvious reasons. One of the hangars even displayed damage from the original attack on Pearl Harbor. There are additional aircraft on the tarmac but we were getting tired by that point and went through them pretty quickly.
Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum
The final shuttle stop took us back across the bridge to the National Memorial. We had one more site to explore, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (map). I was particularly proud of this photograph I took through a submarine periscope. The result looked like a vintage postcard but this was the actual view. It shows the museum grounds.
The museum also has an actual submarine which we crawled through. I don’t know how that many submariners could live there so tightly confined for days and weeks on end. Then we went into the museum building itself that featured a lot more submarine memorabilia than most people can imagine.
By then we were exhausted. Seriously, book about twice as much time as you think you’ll need for this.
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr.
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